Liron is a soldier!

Our own Liron Menashe is now an IDF soldier and has just completed her basic training. We wish her all the luck in the world. Waiting for more photos!

Just before Liron was drafted, she and Tal Bouhnik gave a presentation at the Teen Center, about their year in Baltimore as shinshinim, and as a result we have many interested matric students applying to become shinshinim in 2010 when Natan Mish and Hadar Madnick finish their year in Baltimore.

The candidates who passed the initial interview with Sigal, Itai (the JAFI representative) and Avner Maimon (Youth and Education dept, Ashkelon municipality) will participate in the second stage of the selection process: a full day workshop run by the Jewish Agency in Kiryat Moriah. It's a long process and we have many hopeful, highly motivated candidates to fill the two available positions.

Mayor Benny visits Baltimore

L-R: Jimmy Berg - Chair of THE ASSOCIATED Board, Benny Vaknin - Mayor of Ashkelon, Marc Terrill- President of THE ASSOCIATED

Benny Vaknin, Mayor of Ashkelon is currently visiting Baltimore together with Eli Dayan - Chairman of Keren Ashkelon, Galit Amzallag - Director of International Relations, Municipality of Ashkelon, and Sigal Ariely.

The Mayor's hectic schedule included the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.

L-R Jon Laria- President of the Baltimore Jewish Council, Jimmy Berg - Chair of THE ASSOCIATED Board, Marc Terrill - President of THE ASSOCIATED , William Cardinal Keeler- Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore, Catholic Church, Benny Vaknin - Mayor of Ashkelon, Martin O’Malley-Governor

The Mayor's Delegation to Baltimore on a visit to Beit Tfiloh School 

with our Shinshinim  (young emissaries), Tal Bouhnik & Liron Menashe

Shinshinim Visit Home

Our "Shinshinim" (Young Emissaries), Tal Bouhnik and Liron Menashe, are spending a year volunteering in the Baltimore Jewish Community.

Midway in their stay, they came home to Ashkelon for two weeks to spend time with family and friends and catch up with all the news and new projects in Ashkelon. They will be meeting with the Youth Council, with the Diller Leadership Teens, attending the opening of the Reading Encouragement Project and generally running around seeing everyone and everything!

Today they were at the Municipality to see Sigal and meet Mayor Benny Vaknin, who was elected while they were away. (Nicole)

Daphna Biton, Avner Maimon, Liron Menashe, Mayor Benny Vaknin, Tal Bouhnik, Sigal Ariely, Yakov Attias

Video Interview with Ashkelon's Tal & Liron

Watch the video and read the transcript to hear what our young emissaries to Baltimore have to say in an article from WBalt.tv by Kim Dacey http://www.wbaltv.com/news/18401125/detail.html Due to copyright proviso we can only give you the link. PRESS the word VIDEO to see Tal & Liron giving their (short) interview.(Nicole)

Our Shinshinim prepare for the Holidays

Liron & Tal have been busy preparing for the holidays, working in the kindergartens and schools in Baltimore. See the article in the Baltimore Jewish times : http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/article/israeli_emissaries_light_up_baltimore/http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/article/israeli_emissaries_light_up_baltimore/ Nicole

Shinshinim are on their way

It's time to say Goodbye and Good luck to our "Shinshinim" (Young Emissaries), Tal and Liron.

Together with Huppit Bartov who is on a visit to Ashkelon, we gathered in the Mayor's office for a farewell meeting. Everyone wished Tal and Liron good luck on their mission to Baltimore. They are about to face a challenging year but, knowing them and the Baltimore Jewish community, I know they will have the experience of a lifetime.

Nessia Tova !

See also: http://ashkelonblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ashkelons-first-shinshinim-to-baltimore.html Nicole

Summer fun in Park Baltimore

As part of the summer activities run by Amen and the Youth Council ,our "shinshinim" Liron & Tal and the teens have kept the kids of Ashkelon busy in the afternoons with fun activities in playgrounds around the city. Here they are on the green lawn in The Michael Lapidus Park (Park Baltimore) and the Lyn Stacie Getz Playground where everyone is enjoying art and sports activities. Nicole

Ashkelon's First Shinshinim to Baltimore

Tal Bouhnik and Liron Menashe, our first "shinshinim"!

In August, our two shinshinim, Liron Menashe & Tal Bouhnik, will leave their homes and families in Ashkelon and head off to spend a whole year in Baltimore.

What is a "shinshin" ? 'Shin Shin' stands for "Shnat Sherut" or 'year of service'. A Shinshin is also called a 'young emissary' or 'young ambassador'. Shinshinim are high school graduates who defer their military service for one year in order to spend that year living and working in the community - doing volunteer work in schools, old-aged homes, kindergartens, community centers, after-school and/or similar programs - usually in Israel (sometimes through youth groups), but also in partnership communities overseas.

They have been specially chosen, and are experienced counselors who have undergone a special JAFI (Jewish Agency for Israel) course and they will use their experience and special skills to make their mark and contribute to the Baltimore Jewish Community. Nicole

(From left), myself, Tal Bouhnik, Liron Menashe, and Maia Hoffman.

Youth Leaders Rule

This morning, new young faces took over the leadership of Ashkelon. As part of "Youth Month" in the city, today the youth leadership had a taste of being in charge of the City. They attended meetings, were interviewed, visited locations in the city with the Mayor, answered the phone and drank a lot of coffee.

Asaf Suissa (above), chairman of the Youth Council, sat in Mayor Roni Mehatzri's chair and ran the city. Standing next to the Mayor is Liron Menashe (last year's Youth Council chairwoman), who will be our Young Shalicha to Baltimore in September 2008, together with Tal Bouhnik.

Tal Bouhnik (left) and Yuval Peretz, took over from Deputy Mayor Levi Shafran. They took their job seriously and dealt with educational issues, under Levi's instruction.Tal will be joining Liron as our Young Shlichim to Baltimore.

Bar Chaprak (right) and Shir Ariely sat in Anat Berkovich's (the municipal spokesperson) - chair , and issued a press release about events of the day.

Teens also replaced the City Manager, the other deputy mayors and department heads. After 4 hectic hours on the job, they were all very happy to go back to school... "It's not easy to run a city!"

Nicole